SPAR Budapest Marathon tracking 2026 — follow a runner live

The 41st SPAR Budapest Marathon Festival takes place on 10–11 October 2026: the shorter distances on Saturday, then the marathon, the 30 km and the half marathon on Sunday. If someone you love is running, this guide shows you how to know exactly where they are, whether you're by the course, at home or on the other side of the world, and how to get your voice to them at kilometre 30.

Independence notice: Cheerlify is an independent service. It is not affiliated with Budapest Sportiroda, SPAR, or the race organisers, and it is not the event's official application.

You have two tools: the organiser's official chip-timed split tracking, and continuous GPS tracking from the runner's phone. They do different jobs, and they work well together.

The race in short

Always check the official site for the exact schedule and last-minute changes, since start times and road closures shift from year to year.

1. Official split tracking (chip)

BSI, the organiser, runs live tracking at bsi.raceinfo.hu. Look the runner up by bib number or name and you'll see their split times at the timing mats, pace, projected finish and a position on the map. You don't need an app; it works in the browser.

What to know:

• It updates per timing mat. On the marathon the organiser lists mats at roughly 3, 7, 9, 12.2, 15.1, 16.7, 21.1, 30, 35.7 and 39.3 km. Between mats the system only estimates, so if your runner slows down or stops between 21.1 and 30 km, you won't find out until the next mat.
• It covers several distances: marathon, 30 km, pairs, relay, 10 km, 5 km, 4×2 km.
• Get their bib number in advance. Searching by name, it's easy to pick the wrong person when there are namesakes.

It's ideal for knowing whether and when they passed halfway, but you can't watch them minute by minute with it.

2. Continuous GPS tracking on the map

Whether the runner is on Andrássy Avenue right now or already on Margaret Island is something only the GPS in their phone can tell you. Your options:

Whichever you use, the runner has to carry the phone, and on the dense parts of the course (under the embankment, at the Chain Bridge) GPS can jump a few metres. Cheerlify projects the position onto the course line so the dot stays on the route.

Tip: watch the official splits and the GPS together. At the mats the chip is exact; in between, GPS fills the gaps.

3. Where to stand

The Budapest course has loops and turnarounds, so from one good spot you can see your runner more than once. A few options:

• Start and finish are in the same place (Pázmány Péter sétány / Műegyetem rakpart). If you can only get to one spot, make it this one.
• Pest embankment and Andrássy Avenue: wide, easy to reach, and the field is still fresh.
• Margaret Island: by here the marathon field has spread out, and from the bridgeheads you can see in both directions.
• After 30 km (around Liberty Bridge and the Buda embankment): this is the "wall" section, where your voice matters most.

With live tracking you can work out when they'll get there. Cheerlify estimates arrival at a given kilometre from the runner's pace, so you stand on the bridge for five minutes, not forty.

4. Be in their earbuds mid-race

Most runners run with earbuds in. With Cheerlify a supporter records a voice or video message in advance and picks the kilometre (say the 32nd), and the message plays in the runner's earbuds right there. Supporters don't need an app or an account, just a link and a code in the browser.

What should you say? Keep it short and specific, and time it well. We collected 30+ cheers for every stage of the race, because the runner needs something different at the start, at halfway, at kilometre 30 and in the final push.

Race-day checklist for supporters

1. Bib number and name saved on your phone.
2. bsi.raceinfo.hu open and the runner found, before the start.
3. The runner has shared their tracking link (Cheerlify / Beacon / LiveTrack), and you've tested it the evening before.
4. The runner's phone fully charged, low-power mode off, tracking permissions set ("Always" for location).
5. Cheers recorded for the hard kilometres, at least two between 30 and 35 km.
6. A spot picked on the course where you'll see them twice, and your way home planned, because with the closures not every bridge is open.

Frequently asked questions